If You Take the Enemy Prince as Your Knight Chapter 35

Regen refrained from interrupting to ask about the implied meaning.

 

“I came here today to show Sir Regen the convent. We’ll take a brief look around on our own, so there’s no need to assign a guide.”

 

“Understood. Please call for me anytime if you need assistance.”

 

Before stepping back, the abbess subtly spoke to a novice nun holding a broom in the back. “Let the children know that their godmother has arrived.”

 

“Yes, Abbess!” The novice nun’s face flushed red as she hurried toward the door. She seemed filled with excitement at the thought of delivering such joyous news.

 

“Let’s go, Sir Regen.” Sasha led Regen in the same direction the novice nun had disappeared.

 

Regen’s thoughts grew heavier. There was no way this place, where the princess had suddenly brought him, was just an ordinary convent. Moreover, knowing Sasha’s personality, she wouldn’t have chosen someone to share such significant information with carelessly.

 

Even without much effort, Regret could naturally piece together the relationship between Sasha and the abbess. At the very least, the convent was a source of intelligence. At most, they were partners working toward a shared cause.

 

As they walked down the worn stone corridor of the building, Sasha finally spoke. “You must have a lot of questions, Sir Regen.”

 

“I’m waiting for you to enlighten me.”

 

“I think it’s better for you to see it for yourself rather than just hear about it.”

 

Rooms were crammed side by side along the hallway. Inside, children and young girls were gathered in small groups, reading picture books, playing with wooden toys, or crafting items necessary for the sustenance of the convent. When they noticed Sasha, they stopped what they were doing and greeted her warmly.

 

“It’s the godmother!”

 

“Hello!”

 

Sasha gave a simple wave and walked past them. The girls and children watched her leave, looking a bit disappointed, but soon returned to their tasks.

 

As they exited the building and stepped into the backyard and farm, the warm reception toward Sasha continued. Girls feeding goats and others tending to the vineyard straightened up and greeted her cheerfully.

 

“Godmother, hello!”

 

“Thank you as always, godmother!”

 

The same scene repeated itself as they made their way around the convent. At first glance, it seemed like the typical response of commoners showing respect to a visiting authority figure. After all, the relationship between a benefactor and their beneficiaries wasn’t unusual. But Regen’s expression grew increasingly grave. As the number of children and young girls greeting them surpassed ten, his eyes began to reflect disbelief.

 

Before long, the inspection was over, and Sasha and Regen stood atop a hill overlooking the convent. It was a scenic spot, with a grand oak tree growing gracefully.

 

“Was that enough of an explanation?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Regen opened his lips silently, then closed them again. He barely managed to suppress a chuckle that almost escaped in his moment of bewilderment.

 

“All the girls here, they know how to handle mana, don’t they?”

 

“That’s right. I’m not supporting them purely out of goodwill.”

 

“Are they being trained as well?”

 

“There are training facilities in the basement of the convent.”

 

In other words, the princess was secretly raising private soldiers without the mad emperor’s knowledge. And this was likely not all there was to it.

 

Quickly assessing the situation, Regen found the next question he needed to ask. “How many places like this are there?”

 

“Three near the capital, including this one. Across the empire, there are even more. And there are two in what used to be border regions. It’s an era with a growing number of war orphans, after all.”

 

It was a statement that connected to the information previously mentioned by Archbishop Gremol.

 

“Recently, the number of children born with the ability to handle mana has been decreasing. It’s not yet an immediate crisis, but if this continues, in ten or twenty years, it will become difficult to maintain the order of knights serving His Majesty.”

 

Archbishop Gremol had blamed the declining birthrate for the reduced number of mana-wielders being born, but that wasn’t the case at all. Sasha had been secretly taking them and raising them in the convent.

 

“How many children are there in total?”

 

“352.”

 

The number of personal knights under the mad emperor’s command barely exceeded 200. If all the children were safely trained and converted into combat power, and Sasha imprinted all of them, an overwhelming and absolute army of knights would be created.

 

Imprinting everyone…

 

As Regen quietly lowered his gaze, Sasha confessed her actions up until now.

 

“I’ve been carefully interfering to prevent Archbishop Gremol from solidifying his power. As long as he’s preoccupied with political struggles, he won’t pay attention to the convents. It’s harder to hide one’s claws than it is to sharpen them.”

 

“…”

 

Sasha’s light sky-blue eyes were, at this moment, deeper than the bluest sky. Her title was the Silver Bird. If she were a bird, Regen had once thought, her kind would surely be the silver hawk. His eyes had not been wrong.

 

Sasha’s calm voice continued. “What I need now is time. The youngest child is only twelve years old.”

 

“That sounds like a very long-term plan.”

 

“Yes. I’m looking at a ten-year timeline. But the waiting won’t be boring. There’s plenty to do within the palace.”

 

She wasn’t just talking about surviving the palace competitions. It would also involve dealing with collaborators like Archbishop Gremol.

 

Regen filtered through her words and asked again. “Did you say ten years?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Does that ten years include my forces as well?”

 

“No. It was a plan I made before I met you, Sir Regen.”

 

“Then what happens if you include me and recalculate?”

 

“Well, how much stronger do you plan to become?”

 

For a moment, Regen had a thought that immediately came to mind. Strong enough that you can’t imprint on anyone else. The imprint seemed to be manipulating his emotions again, stirring up his possessiveness.

 

Fortunately, Regen wisely swallowed his words, and Sasha didn’t press him further. She hadn’t asked the question expecting an answer anyway, as she considered it unpredictable from the start.

 

Sasha took a bold step forward, standing close to Regen. Her blue eyes, looking up at him, carried a provocative edge, perhaps due to the distance between them being so minimal.

 

“What do you think? A princess preparing a coup against her own father.”

 

“…”

 

“Is she worth protecting?”

 

To properly meet her gaze at eye level, Regen knelt on one knee.

 

“Of course.”

 

“Then surely, you must also be worth saving.”

 

It was only then that Regen fully understood the purpose of this journey. To instill in him the value of living, after he had been consumed by disgrace. Sasha hadn’t just offered him a cause and revenge. She was also a lady who restored honor to her knight. The one who mended not only his right heart but also his left.

 

Regen willingly pressed a kiss to the back of her hand and spoke. “As you command, Your Highness.”

 

✦

There are people in this world who live off their convictions and honor. Regenhart Lohengrin was one of them.

 

Taking a short trip with him had been a good decision. Since that day, Regen seemed like someone who had found his footing and stood upright. More than just the disappearance of his unstable wavering, the aura he exuded had grown even more solid.

 

When I looked at his straight and upright back, I could feel a steadfastness akin to a protective fortress. I felt that Regen had grown considerably stronger during our trip. The sense that only an imperial with dominion could perceive was telling me so. However, even after a week had passed, his mana core treatment remained almost unchanged.

 

“Your mana core treatment hasn’t shown much improvement. The dominion consumed by Sir Regen has increased, though. What could be the reason?”

 

When I discussed it with Regen, I was able to get an answer right away.

 

“It seems to be a matter of mindset. After all, the mind is ultimately the core of one’s strength.”

 

“Ah, that’s true. Mental strength.”

 

The amount of dominion needed to maintain an imprint was directly proportional to a knight’s mana and mental strength. There hadn’t been any sudden enlightenment or event that would have significantly strengthened his mental strength. It was more reasonable to assume that his spirit, which had been greatly worn down by the storms of fate, had finally begun to recover.

 

As expected of the Hero of Lohengrin. Even his mental strength is exceptional.